The Sports Performance Reward Fund (SPRF) has announced its plan to raise N10 billion to reward Nigeria’s emerging sports talents, as revealed by the President of SPRF, Musa Kida, during a press conference held in Abuja on Thursday.
Kida elaborated that the funds would be sourced from both the private and public sectors, individuals, and organisations within and outside Nigeria. These funds will be used as rewards for Nigerian youth athletes who achieve podium success at the Olympics, Commonwealth Games, Africa Games, and major World Championships.
He outlined the proposed rewards as follows: “Olympics: Gold – N10 million, Silver- N7.5 million, and Bronze- N5 million. Commonwealth: Gold – N5 million, Silver – N3 million, and Bronze – N2 million. Africa Games: Gold- N3 million, Silver – N2 million, and Bronze -N1 million. The rewards for medals at major world championships will be the same as for the Africa Games.”
Kida stressed that the primary goal of the SPRF is to inspire Nigerian youth with sporting talent to put in the hard work and make the necessary sacrifices to become the best in the world. He stated, “Our goal is to establish a guaranteed and sure reward for generations of Nigeria’s sporting youth. We want to make sports an oasis of excellence in Nigeria. For instance, if you can run 9.5 seconds in the 100 metres, on top of what the government can or will do for you, we will motivate and help you. You will become a world champion and a millionaire.”
Furthermore, Kida explained that the SPRF aims to attract significant private sector involvement in sports and establish a private sector-led sports culture in the country. This is part of a broader effort to position Nigeria as a major sports power over the next three Olympic cycles.
Kida expressed gratitude to Sen. John Owan Enoh, the Minister for Sports Development, for pledging support for the SPRF. He also thanked those who have already made contributions and corporate entities that have shown strong interest in the initiative.
Chioma Ajunwa, an ex-Olympian and a member of the Board of Trustees of the SPRF, emphasised the importance of transparency in achieving the fund’s objectives. She explained that the SPRF would maintain an open-book policy, ensuring that all donations, contributions, and support would be visible on the organization’s website. Additionally, disbursements to recipients would be publicly accessible on the website.
Godwin Kienka, the Executive Secretary of SPRF, affirmed the fund’s commitment to collaborating with the Federal Government and other stakeholders to engage the private sector and reshape the sports landscape in Nigeria.
